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Vegetable Biryani

Ever prepared a dish specially for a loved one, and then messed up when packing it? I have a horrible feeling that I have packed Harry’s lunch box with mint and coriander leaves, which forms the first layer of this biryani. Well, I will tell him that his lunch was Mint Rice ;-).

I gave biryani another try and this time it was much better! Of course, there is a lot of room for improvement, but still this fared much better than my previous attempt. My lunch was full of flavors, unlike Harry’s – which is just going to be full of mint leaves. I didn’t bake it properly this time too, may be next time…

Method:

Wash rice thoroughly and soak it for 2 hours. Boil water in a big vessel, switch off and immerse the soya chunks completely in it. It needs to rest for at least 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water before using in the biryani.

Cook rice till almost done, drain excess water and keep aside. I microwaved it for 8 minutes with 4 cups water.

Heat oil and ghee in a pan, add the sliced onions till brown. Remove half the amount and keep aside.

Add half cup water, rest of the vegetables and soya chunks. Cover and cook till the vegetables are almost done, about 10 – 15 minutes. Check and adjust the seasonings, keep aside.

For assembling, you have to follow a rice-> biryani mix->rice pattern. I have formed three layers of rice, with two layers of vegetable mix in between. You have to add the coriander and mint leaves, and the fried onions over the rice layers.

Bake for 30 minutes and serve hot with raita.

Note:

I had only carrots and potatoes at home, feel free to add other vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, beans, peas, peppers, turnips etc etc etc).

You can substitute soya chunks with paneer or you can skip them altogether.

To make it easier, prepare the vegetable masala and add the uncooked rice. Transfer to a rice cooker and cook with 4 cups of water. Skip the baking part completely.

The longer you keep it, the more flavorful it becomes. My kid loved the ‘sona’ (soya) chunks in this.

This looks wonderful! I have made mistakes when packing my husband’s lunches. My biggest mistake that I make too often is to forget to add silverware. :) Thanks for sharing your delicious recipe with the Hearth and soul Hop.